Amid wall-to-wall reporting on a novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in late March 2020, articles breathlessly claimed that a “coronavirus challenge” or “COVID-19 challenge” was spreading on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, inciti
Publication: coronavirus
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Evidence Of Worldwide COVID-19 Conspiracy Involving U.S. Government, Its Military, 5G Tech And The Illuminati
Is there already a vaccine for COVID-19 that the U.S. govenment is hiding in a wide plot to kill people off? And is the next-generation wireless technology 5G responsible for the novel coronavirus? Further, are the Illuminati also involved in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tanks Are NOT Rolling Into American Towns In Advance Of Martial Law
Did U.S. military tanks roll into American towns in advance of martial Law? No, that's not true: A video showing U.S. military tanks on a train do not mean troops are moving into towns across the United States to impose martial law amid the co
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Congress Did NOT Include A Raise of $25 Million For Themselves In Stimulus
Are Democrats in Congress trying to push through a $25 million overall raise for themselves as part of the $2.2 trillion COVID-19 and economic stimulus package? No, that is false. Congressional members and leaders of both parties - as well as
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Gerrity’s Store Discard $35,000 of Food After a Woman ‘Coughed’ on It During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
On March 26 2020, a number of social media posts involved a woman in Pennsylvania who allegedly “coughed” on $35,000 worth of food — forcing a Gerrity’s store to discard all of the items: “Grocery store Gerrity’s Supermar
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Your Child Will NOT Be Taken From You If They Have COVID-19
If a child contracts COVID-19 and is hospitalized, will they be separated from their parent while they are treated? No, that's not true. Neither the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor the World Health Organization has recommen
Snopes→ Trump Administration Urged to Free Migrants as Virus Surges
Pressure was mounting on the Trump administration to release people from immigration detention facilities where at least one detainee has tested positive for COVID-19 and advocates fear tight quarters and overall conditions could cause rapid spread of
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Los Angeles Police Conducting ‘Spot Checks’ on ‘Non-Essential’ Driving?
A social media dispute broke out around comedian Ashley Ray on March 25 2020, after she posted what she called an advisory for people venturing outside in Los Angeles amid the city’s stay-in-place order to limit spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Snopes→ Chicago Uses Hotels for Quarantine to Ease Hospital Demand
Chicago’s plan to reserve at least 1,000 hotel rooms through partnerships with five hotels is the first such sweeping strategy unveiled in the U.S. aimed at relieving the pressure on hospitals that are the only option for the seriously sick.
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Video Show That ‘Tanks Have Arrived in San Diego’?
In another case of social media users and disreputable blogs stoking fear via disinformation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, footage of a routine shipment of tanks in two states has been interpreted — and then disseminated — as an omen of so
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Flu Shot Does NOT Increase Risk Of Contracting COVID-19 By 36%
Does getting a flu shot increase your chances of contracting the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, by 36%? No, that's not true: Doctors told Lead Stories that there is no "cross-effect" between the two, and medical institutions are still recomme
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Wonder Why the Cameraman Didn’t Need Protective Clothing?’ Facebook Post
On March 19 2020, the following meme (“I wonder why the cameraman didn’t need protective clothing”) was shared to Facebook: A still photograph included the wording about the cameraman lacking any personal protective equipme
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Phalanx of Corporate Chief Executive Officers Step Down Ahead of COVID-19?
In March 2020, as conspiracy theorists rushed to find “meaning” to the COVID-19 pandemic, one graphic circulating online listed departures from several high-profile companies which suggested that the executives left their positions in adva
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Fundamental Problem’ of the ‘2.5% of the Population Which is Generally Expensive to Maintain and Not Productive’ Tweet Controversy
Viral comments and debates in mid-March 2020 included direct arguments in favor of leveraging COVID-19 deaths as an economic bulwark, often punctuated by screenshots of a purported tweet by San Diego, California lawyer Scott McMillan in which he propo
Snopes→ Potential Coronavirus Treatment ‘Remdesivir’ Granted Rare Disease Status
The pharmaceutical giant that makes a promising coronavirus drug has registered it as a rare disease treatment with U.S. regulators, a status that can potentially be worth millions in tax breaks and competition-free sales.
Truth or Fiction?→ The #GeneralStrike Hashtag and the Coronavirus Economic Debate
On March 24 2020, #GeneralStrike was among Twitter’s most prominent hashtags in response to calls that people return to work just days after social distancing measures and lockdowns were put in place to lessen COVID-19’s effects and spread
Snopes→ Sen. Rand Paul Kept Working for Six Days after Virus Test
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul says he was tested for the novel coronavirus, but continued working at the Capitol because he had no symptoms of the illness and believed it was "highly unlikely" he was sick.
Snopes→ Loss of Smell, Taste, Might Signal Pandemic Virus Infection
A loss of smell or taste might be an early sign of infection with the pandemic virus, say medical experts who cite reports from several countries.
Snopes→ Mormons Chided for Airport Welcoming of Missionaries
Hours after hundreds of people welcoming missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints crowded together in an airport parking garage, authorities announced new rules to prevent it from happening again during the coronavirus crisis.
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Video Show ‘More and More’ Coronavirus Looters in San Francisco?
Untrustworthy blogs and right-wing social media users pounced on footage allegedly captured by one Twitter user to throw inflammatory allegations against San Francisco and “liberal” communities as a whole following a shelter-in-place order
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the NYC Department of Health Issue ‘COVID-19 Sex’ Guidelines?
On March 21 2020, Facebook and Twitter users began sharing purportedly official guidelines for COVID-19 and sex, attributed to the New York City Health Department: the NYC department of health says that during the COVID-19 pandemic “you are your s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Belgium’s Health Minister Ban ‘Non-Essential Sexual Activities of Three or More’ Due to Coronavirus Concerns?
Amid a worldwide COVID-19 crisis on March 21 2020, a headline circulated — “Belgium Health Minister Puts Ban On Non-essential Sexual Activities Of Persons 3 Or Greater In Indoor Areas.” Often spreading without a link, occasionally th
Truth or Fiction?→ Was ‘The Purge’ Feed Set on March 22 2020?
One in five Americans were on official coronavirus lockdown on March 21 2020, and many of those Americans watched movies to pass the time — leading to a rumor that those viewing 2013’s The Purge spotted surveillance feed video in the f
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Florida County Official Promote a Bogus Right-Wing COVID-19 ‘Cure’?
A member of a small county commission in Florida became an online laughingstock after video spread of him endorsing a widely-debunked cure for COVID-19 (a.k.a. the “coronavirus”) by a right-wing “news” outlet to his colleagues.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Florida City Cut Residents’ Power During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
A confrontation between officials in Lake Worth Beach, Florida drew attention after a member of the local city commission criticized his colleagues of not taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously. “This is a banana republic, is what you’re t
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Have ‘Advance Knowledge’ of COVID-19?
In mid-March 2020, as the United States continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-science blog Natural News posted a “story” pushing the claim that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, “appears
Snopes→ US Home Sales Jumped to 13-Year High before Viral Outbreak
U.S. home sales jumped in February 2020 to their highest level in 13 years, a trend that will almost certainly be reversed as people stop showing their property out of fear of infection in the coronavirus outbreak.
Snopes→ Dow Drops More Than 900 Points, Ending Worst Week Since 2008
Wall Street ended the week the same way it began: in full retreat from the coronavirus.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘100 Million Masks’ — Are Homemade Masks Sufficient for COVID-19 First Responders?
On March 20 2020, KOMO anchor Mary Nam shared a photograph of a person wearing a surgical mask (a form of personal protective equipment, or PPE, known to be in short supply due the coronavirus pandemic), and put out a call for anyone who knows how to
Truth or Fiction?→ Rapunzel Was Quarantined in ‘Tangled,’ Google the Name of Her Kingdom?
As coronavirus quarantine memes circulated in mid-March 2020, one referenced the Disney film Tangled, first stating that Rapunzel was “quarantined” during the film, and then tacking on people should “Google” the name of her k
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This is What Happens When You Tell Workers to Self Isolate but Don’t Protect Their Incomes’
On March 18 2020, the top post on Reddit’s r/all (from r/pics) was titled, “This is what happens when you tell workers to self isolate but don’t protect their incomes,” and it showed crowds of people standing close to one another
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Crosses out ‘Corona’ on Virus Prepared Remarks, Writes ‘Chinese’
On March 19 2020, a number of tweets purportedly showed a close-up of United States President Donald Trump’s prepared remarks on the progress of a coronavirus pandemic, where he apparently used a marker to cross out the “corona” of &
Truth or Fiction?→ Chuck Grassley’s ‘Spanish Flu’ Tweet Adds to Wave of Xenophobic COVID-19 Rhetoric From GOP
As United States President Donald Trump and his supporters continued to try to normalize xenophobic rhetoric surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa came under criticism online for his own effort. “I don’t unders
Snopes→ Colleges Offering Dorms as Hospital Overflow for Virus Cases
A growing number of U.S. colleges are preparing to turn empty dorms into temporary housing for patients with the coronavirus as the nation's hospitals brace for a possible surge of cases that could push treatment centers beyond their limits.
Snopes→ US Nursing Homes Warn of Looming Shortage of Masks and Gowns
Many nursing homes risk running out of protective masks and gowns within one week because of the coronavirus, and at least one facility already had to resort to using plastic garbage bags to make gowns, an industry group warned.
Snopes→ US Military’s Role in Response to Virus Outbreak is Growing
The Pentagon's role in responding to the coronavirus outbreak in the United States began to rapidly expand as officials announced that two Navy hospital ships and two Army field hospitals were preparing to deploy to help overburdened regions.
Snopes→ Coronavirus Layoffs Spark Surge in State Jobless Claims
In Ohio, more than 48,000 people applied for jobless benefits in two days. The tally during the same period the prior week: just 1,825.
Snopes→ Stocks Tumble, Investors Dash for Cash amid Recession Fears
Stocks tumbled more than 5% on Wall Street.
Truth or Fiction?→ Imperial College London’s COVID-19 Report, Explained
On March 17 2020, an Imperial College London paper about coronavirus and COVID-19 trajectory models was referenced widely in the news and on social media, causing a considerable amount of concern and drawing global attention. Discourse about the Imper
Truth or Fiction?→ Is St. Corona the Patron Saint of Epidemics?
As novel coronavirus COVID-19 swept the majority Catholic country of Italy in March 2020, rumors appeared that Italians had begun praying to a St. Corona — who was, incidentally, “the patron saint of epidemics.” A March 11 post to th